What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Prick vs Spot - What's the difference?

prick | spot |

As nouns the difference between prick and spot

is that prick is a small hole or perforation, caused by piercing while spot is .

As a verb prick

is to pierce or puncture slightly.

prick

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) prik, prikke, from (etyl) prica, . Pejorative context came from prickers, or witch-hunters.

Noun

(en noun)
  • A small hole or perforation, caused by piercing.
  • An indentation or small mark made with a pointed object.
  • (obsolete) A dot or other diacritical mark used in writing; a point.
  • (obsolete) A tiny particle; a small amount of something; a jot.
  • A small pointed object.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Pins, wooden pricks , nails, sprigs of rosemary.
  • * Bible, Acts ix. 5
  • It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks .
  • The experience or feeling of being pierced or punctured by a small, sharp object.
  • I felt a sharp prick as the nurse took a sample of blood.
  • * A. Tucker
  • the pricks of conscience
  • (slang, vulgar) The penis.
  • (slang, pejorative) Someone (especially a man or boy) who is unpleasant, rude or annoying.
  • (now, historical) A small roll of yarn or tobacco.
  • The footprint of a hare.
  • (obsolete) A point or mark on the dial, noting the hour.
  • * Shakespeare
  • the prick of noon
  • (obsolete) The point on a target at which an archer aims; the mark; the pin.
  • * Spenser
  • they that shooten nearest the prick
    Derived terms
    * pricker * prickle * prickly * pricktease * prickteaser

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To pierce or puncture slightly.
  • John hardly felt the needle prick his arm when the adept nurse drew blood.
  • To form by piercing or puncturing.
  • to prick holes in paper
    to prick a pattern for embroidery
    to prick the notes of a musical composition
    (Cowper)
  • (dated) To be punctured; to suffer or feel a sharp pain, as by puncture.
  • A sore finger pricks .
  • To incite, stimulate, goad.
  • * (rfdate), (Shakespeare), (Two Gentlemen of Verona) , ii. 7.
  • My duty pricks me on to utter that.
  • To affect with sharp pain; to sting, as with remorse.
  • * Bible, Acts ii. 37
  • Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart.
  • * Tennyson
  • I was pricked with some reproof.
  • (archaic) To urge one's horse on; to ride quickly.
  • (Milton)
  • * 1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , III.1:
  • At last, as through an open plaine they yode, / They spide a knight that towards them pricked fayre [...].
  • * 1881 , :
  • Indeed, it is a memorable subject for consideration, with what unconcern and gaiety mankind pricks on along the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
  • (transitive, chiefly, nautical) To mark the surface of (something) with pricks or dots; especially, to trace a ship’s course on (a chart).
  • (nautical, obsolete) To run a middle seam through the cloth of a sail. (The Universal Dictionary of the English Language, 1896)
  • To make acidic or pungent.
  • (Hudibras)
  • To become sharp or acid; to turn sour, as wine.
  • To aim at a point or mark.
  • (Hawkins)
  • To fix by the point; to attach or hang by puncturing.
  • to prick a knife into a board
  • * Sandys
  • The cooks prick it [a slice] on a prong of iron.
    (Isaac Newton)
  • (obsolete) To mark or denote by a puncture; to designate by pricking; to choose; to mark.
  • * Francis Bacon
  • Some who are pricked for sheriffs.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
  • Let the soldiers for duty be carefully pricked off.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Those many, then, shall die: their names are pricked .
  • To make sharp; to erect into a point; to raise, as something pointed; said especially of the ears of an animal, such as a horse or dog; and usually followed by up .
  • * Dryden
  • The courser pricks up his ears.
  • (obsolete) To dress; to prink; usually with up .
  • (farriery) To drive a nail into (a horse's foot), so as to cause lameness.
  • (Webster 1913)

    spot

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape.
  • The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur.
  • A stain or disfiguring mark.
  • I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out.
  • A pimple, papule or pustule.
  • That morning, I saw that a spot had come up on my chin.
    I think she's got chicken pox; she's covered in spots .
  • A small, unspecified amount or quantity.
  • Would you like to come round on Sunday for a spot of lunch?
  • (slang, US) A bill of five-dollar or ten-dollar denomination in dollars.
  • Here's the twenty bucks I owe you, a ten spot''' and two five '''spots .
  • A location or area.
  • I like to eat lunch in a pleasant spot outside.
    For our anniversary we went back to the same spot where we first met.
  • * Milton
  • That spot to which I point is Paradise.
  • * Wordsworth
  • "A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! / But something ails it now: the spot is cursed."
  • * 2011 , Tom Fordyce, Rugby World Cup 2011: England 12-19 France [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/15210221.stm]
  • Yachvilli made it 6-0 with a second sweet strike from 45 metres after Matt Stevens was penalised for collapsing a scrum, and then slid another penalty just wide from the same spot .
  • A parking space.
  • *
  • (sports) An official determination of placement.
  • The fans were very unhappy with the referee's spot of the ball.
  • A bright lamp; a spotlight.
  • (US, advertising) A brief advertisement or program segment on television.
  • Did you see the spot on the news about the shoelace factory?
  • Difficult situation; predicament
  • She was in a real spot when she ran into her separated husband while on a date.
  • (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting) One who spots (supports or assists a maneuver, or is prepared to assist if safety dictates); a spotter
  • (soccer) penalty spot
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2011 , date=January 8 , author=Chris Bevan , title=Arsenal 1 - 1 Leeds , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=The Gunners dominated for long periods but, against the run of play, Denilson fouled Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass put Leeds ahead from the spot . }}
  • The act of spotting or noticing something.
  • - You've misspelled "terrapin" here.
    ''- Whoops. Good spot .
  • A variety of the common domestic pigeon, so called from a spot on its head just above the beak.
  • A food fish (Liostomus xanthurus ) of the Atlantic coast of the United States, with a black spot behind the shoulders and fifteen oblique dark bars on the sides.
  • The southern redfish, or red horse, which has a spot on each side at the base of the tail.
  • (in the plural, brokers' slang, dated) Commodities, such as merchandise and cotton, sold for immediate delivery.
  • An autosoliton.
  • Derived terms

    * on the spot * put someone on the spot * sitspot * shot spot * spot check * spot color / spot colour * spot market * spot on * spot remover * spotty * X marks the spot

    Verb

    (spott)
  • To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify
  • Try to spot the differences between these two pictures.
  • (finance) To loan a small amount of money to someone.
  • I’ll spot you ten dollars for lunch.
  • (ambitransitive) To stain; to leave a spot (on).
  • Hard water will spot if it is left on a surface.
    a garment spotted with mould
  • To remove, or attempt to remove, a stain.
  • I spotted the carpet where the child dropped spaghetti.
  • (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting, climbing) To support or assist a maneuver, or to be prepared to assist if safety dictates.
  • I can’t do a back handspring unless somebody spots me.
  • (dance) To keep the head and eyes pointing in a single direction while turning.
  • Most figure skaters do not spot their turns like dancers do.
  • To stain; to blemish; to taint; to disgrace; to tarnish, as reputation.
  • * Sir Philip Sidney
  • My virgin life no spotted thoughts shall stain.
  • * Beaumont and Fletcher
  • If ever I shall close these eyes but once, / May I live spotted for my perjury.
  • To cut or chip (timber) in preparation for hewing.
  • Statistics

    *

    Anagrams

    * ----